Oakland County Woman Wins $500K From Scratch-Off Ticket: MI Lottery

PONTIAC, MI — An Oakland County woman who won a $500,000 prize from a scratch-off ticket said it's "the start of a new beginning" for her and her family, according to Michigan Lottery officials.

The lucky 41-year-old player, who chose to remain anonymous, bought the winning Ghostbusters instant game winning ticket at the Special Way Food Store, located at 378 West Huron Street in Pontiac.

The woman told lottery officials she doesn't play the games often, but when she saw the Ghostbusters ticket, she said, "Why not?”

"When I scratched the ticket and saw I’d won $500,000, I read the directions over and over again and looked the ticket over for at least an hour," the woman said. "I knew what I was seeing, but I had a hard time believing it, so I drove to my local Lottery office to have them check it."

"The Lottery employee scanned the ticket and said: ‘You need to take this one to Lansing!’ It was such an amazing feeling," she added.

With her winnings, she plans to help her family, pay bills and then save the remainder.

"Winning this prize is the start of a new beginning for me and my family," the woman told lottery officials.